Sophie Naudeau is the Program Leader for Human Development. Since joining the World Bank in 2005, Sophie Naudeau worked in the East Asia, Middle East, and Africa regions (including three years in Mozambique), as well as in the Children and Youth Unit of the World Bank's Human Development Network. Prior to this current assignment as Program Leader, she was also the Global Lead for Early Childhood Development.

Over time, Sophie’s work focused on analyzing the opportunities and challenges that low-income children, youth, and families face across regions; developing and implementing education and multi-sectoral projects that respond to the specific needs of these populations; preparing knowledge products to advance the Early Childhood Development and youth agenda; and designing impact evaluations of early childhood programs and early literacy activities across a range of low and middle income countries. Prior to joining the World Bank, Sophie coordinated non-governmental programs for refugee children and youth in post conflict societies, including in Bosnia, Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Cambodia.

She holds a Ph.D. in Child Development from Tufts University, a M.A. in International Development from Sorbonne University, and a M.A. in Economics and Political Sciences from the Paris Institute of Political Sciences.